Hey everyone, I'm a 4th grade ESL teacher in Texas and this is literally my first year being responsible for administering the TELPAS to my students. I've been scrambling to find a solid study guide or at least some kind of overview so I know what I'm doing before testing window opens. My campus coordinator gave me the TEA documentation but honestly it's a lot to digest all at once.
I've been looking at TELPAS practice test materials online to get a feel for the reading and writing components — mostly so I can explain the format to my ELLs before we sit down. A few of my kids are on the cusp of Intermediate/Advanced, and I really want to make sure I'm scoring their writing holistically the way I'm supposed to.
For those of you who've done this before: what are the biggest mistakes first-time raters make on the writing portion? And are there any exam tips you wish someone had told you before your first administration? Any help is hugely appreciated.